The Lumineers’ debut live album “Live From Wrigley Field,” is, in a single word, excellent. Released on Sept. 27 of this year, and coming in at just over an hour and a half, it is worth every minute of listening.
For those not familiar, The Lumineers are a so-called alternative folk band out of Denver, Colorado. They became popular after the release of their self-titled album in April of 2012, which subsequently peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200. Since then, they have become well-known for recognizable alternative hits like “Ho Hey,” “Ophelia” and “Cleopatra.”
“Live From Wrigley Field” was recorded in Chicago, in 2022, as the final concert of the Brightside World Tour, on the tail-end of the pandemic. Opening with “Brightside,” the title track of their most recent studio album, it continues through The Lumineers’ four studio albums, hitting the best parts of the band’s discography. “Brightside” itself isn’t one of the band’s more memorable tracks, but the live version is a noticeable improvement over the original track, which seems to be a fairly consistent theme throughout the album.
During performances of the band’s best-known songs, they repeatedly raise the bar, though they do little in the way of experimentation.
“Ho Hey,” The Lumineers’ most popular song since its release in 2012, is played straight, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but may be disappointing for some. That being said, the musicianship is exemplary and the noise of the crowd elevates the performance far beyond the original recording.
Something similar can be said about “Cleopatra,” which, though it sounds more upbeat than usual, and especially so for a fundamentally sad song, doesn’t feature much more experimentation than a drawn-out pause towards the end of the track.
“Angela” and “Gloria,” two more widely popular songs, suffer from the same lack of experimentation, though they are similarly great to listen to. One of The Lumineers’ most recognizable songs, “Ophelia,” opens with drums that fill the space in a really impressive way, although the song unfortunately suffers when the crowd noise drowns out the piano.
Where the album really shines, however, is on the tracks that aren’t quite as popular. “A.M. Radio,” off of the “Brightside” album, is an unexpected standout. The opening lines are as close to haunting as Wesley Schultz has sounded outside of “Vignettes”, and the instrumentation sounds bigger than The Lumineers’ other songs, especially when listened to through headphones.
“Sleep On The Floor,” another lesser-known song, feels like a celebration to listen to, with a big guitar riff and a steady rhythm that carries the listener forward.
“Dead Sea” is also a standout, with complicated instrumentation in various spots, particularly the outro, that aren’t present in the original, and inarguably improve the piece.
The best track on the entire album is “Leader Of The Landslide / You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” a combination of two songs from The Lumineers and The Rolling Stones respectively.
It is simply huge; a fascinating fusion of country, folk, alternative, and classic rock-and-roll. Coming in at around seven minutes, it’s a long track, but of all the songs on the album, it is most deserving of a solo listen.
Also worthy of a mention is “Gale Song,” which features James Bay, who, along with the folk band Caamp, accompanied The Lumineers for the concert. The vocals are superb, and do a lot to make the song sound fresh.
The album closes with another of The Lumineers’ more popular songs, “Stubborn Love,” which is also one of their best performances of the set. Of all the songs, this one was most clearly made to be played live and sounds so completely electric, that it’s almost possible to imagine being a part of the crowd. With the recording being done at the end of the pandemic, this song is clearly a celebration of life and love and community, and it does a lot to tie the album together.
Is “Live From Wrigley Field” at the same level as Nirvana’s “MTV Unplugged in New York”? No.
That being said, it is still a testament to the inexhaustible power of live music and a fantastic look at The Lumineers’ incredible discography. It stands as a worthy addition to the growing collection of recent live albums, such as Noah Kahan’s “Live From Fenway Park,” Cage the Elephant’s “Unpeeled” and Vance Joy’s “Live at Sydney Opera House.”
Give it a listen. You won’t be disappointed.
